An Unexpected Mission
by MorningRains
Summary: Kakashi and Sakura were sent on a mission outside the gates of Konoha. Only to be disguised as couples for unknown number of days till its completion, who knows how these two could wash up together?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello there! this will be my new story and I shall be focusing on this one for the mean time. expected updates are weekly depending on my schedule's availability. If you like this story, please send some reviews. It will be really appreciated and would help me more on improving the plot and all. haha! anyways, here ya go.

**An Unexpected Mission**

_Chapter 1_

Tsunade sure had woken her early at the morning. It was unusual for the Hokage to flip the pages and drink her morning coffee on duty dreadfully in an hour like this.

"Shishou, should you still be sleeping right now? it's just three am!" The pink-haired woman could only brush her eyes and open her mouth wide, yawning along with the droopy, jaded orbs.

"...and who am I going with anyway?" She added.

"Sakura, haven't I oriented you before that such emergency missions cannot be left unattended?" the honey-eyed woman fixed the papers, scanning through the documents where the mission was stated. "And this is supposedly an A-Rank mission. We need one, good jounin and a well-trained medic for this."

Right. It was supposed to be the younger woman's break after an extensive duty at the hospital. She could only place a palm on her face and heave a huge sigh. Her eyes were crying out for more sleep, but seeing she had no choice...

"And don't worry, as soon as you finish this I'll extend your break for three days."

Widening her eyes in surprise, she almost screamed a huge "YEA-"

"Good morning Hokage-Sama... and oh, you too Sakura-chan." A tall, lanky man entered the room and fully cutted the girl's enthusiasm.

"Kakashi-sensei! Good morning!" Sakura averted her attention to him, but brought it back immediately to the older woman.

"Erm, shishou, what's this mission all about anyway?" she could only wonder. "And by the looks of it, I guess I'll be teamed up with our former teacher once again. Brings back old, happy memories right, sensei?"

Kakashi grinned, causing his right eye to curve in display. His sharingan covered with hitae-ate as both of his hands comfortably rested on his twin pockets. "I guess you hit the point there Sakura!"

True. Ever since Sakura managed to pass the Jounin examinations, she had no other time but to nail herself on medical duties. Though at times she feel like going out and have the night for herself along with her closest friends, she knew she'd be a fool to abandon couple of lives waiting at the center.

Popping her fists and stretching her arms upwards, she finally have this chance to leave the village once and for all to breathe fresh air outside the gates of Konoha. She have been dreaming for this and despite of the circumstance being labeled a mission, a cloud of vacation is to be expected nevertheless.

"Alright this is it, pay attention carefully you two."

Two pairs of ears eagerly listened as the Hokage tipped her finger carefully along the lines and finally rested both thumb and index finger on her chin.

"You need to disguise as couples and infiltrate a certain rendezvous held every early in the morning in the small town of Shizu, bordering Amegakure."

Sakura couldn't help but raise a brow. What? Disguising as a _couple_ with her former sensei? Her eyes twitched to look at him in secret and to her surprise, what she witnessed was that blank, unaffected look on his face.

"Sakura, I said pay attention!" The old woman aggravatingly scolded.

"Oh, m-my apologies Shishou." She awkwardly averted her eyes to her mentor, suddenly feeling a bit of guilty. The older man still focused his eyes at Tsunade, once again undisturbed. He's really good at paying attention, isn't he?

"This meeting concerns about the blockage of the transportation of weapon supplies in Ame and costed quite a number of lives who tried to intervene. They are working together in ambush and the suspects are still unknown though there were speculations on a man named Nozumi Himura. Try to fit in there and as much as possible, act as a commoner. No display of Shinobi skills or whatsoever."

"Hokage-Sama, how sure are we that the meetings are to be taken place everyday, on the same time?" the male jounin asked in sheer curiosity.

"Multiple intelligence reports proved it. And since Konoha was requested for the completion of this mission, I'm confident you two could perfectly put a resolve into this conflict." the Hokage replied. "Between one to two a.m the meeting begins. This scroll was given to me quarter to two. It's still freshly delivered from the source."

"And would they even allow us to join in their meetings? Wouldn't we look suspicious to them? And how could I possible use my medic skills when Shinobi stuffs aren't even allowed by all costs?" The girl wondered.

"This is the reason why you two are to be set up as couples of innocent, commoner roots. Pretend you meant no harm but have the desire to be a part of their cause. There will be one man to help you there, and he knows that among the village alliances, there would be some nin on duty. His name is unknown but reports say he is 5'3 in height, features in 60's and an obvious scar is seen on the left part of his cheek. He's the one responsible for these intelligences and even explained himself to be really anti into his co-villager's doings... Though he appears to be active in the organization yet reports in secret." The woman sighed.

"I suggest you need to find this man early upon your arrival. His reports could cost his life in no time and this could mean failure to the mission. He is your keyplayer here. Associate with him in vigilance as much as possible. And speaking of the healing techniques, do it as quietly as possible."

At the back of the young kunoichi's head, her dream died a little of having a fancy little vacation on mountains, and prairies and other interesting fields to set foot on. To think this oh-so tiny village lies near amegakure means 24/7 rain. Yet, Kakashi was on her side anyways. It's been a while since she last shared updates with him, so fortunately, his presence should compensate enough for her dismayal... yet only in the hard way: to disguise as a couple, meaning, probably more room for awkward moments.

Still, he was a bachelor regardless and seem to be the passive kind of type. Or even asexual? He fancies those volumes of perverted books for too long that he seems to lose the interest with real women. And now, the mischievous young lady could only find herself smiling into delving the secrets of this highly-admired man. Remembering their theories down to its worst case scenario of having a probability that he is gay, who knows if she and her team 7 mates could be proven just right all along?

-,-

The pink-haired kunoichi couldn't stop fixing her kimono dress in the right places. Though it seemed to be cozy due to the feel of the soft cotton on her body, its tightness seemed to make her look like a bit of a walking dumpling. Yet she actually pulled the outfit off as stated by Shizune while helping her on fitting it. The colors complimented her strawberry-tinted hair well, blowing hues of light pink upon her outfit. An obi of colored red hugged her waist a bit of tight and a pair of wooden sandals fit her small feet comfortably somehow. To create a new identity as opposed to her usual get up, her hair was twisted in a bun secured with a hair clip designed with beads of gold and silver. Inside her back pack were a few sets of kimono outfits prepared for her daily use.

It sort of worried her for this dangerous mission to take place in a couple of days.. or weeks.. or even months. Her mind clouded with the thought of seeing Konoha again or worst, never? At top of it all, it made her feel secure to have Kakashi by her side regardless. She trusted this man so much, spending the majority of her childhood memories with him: From her insecurities of being the weakest link to the highest heights of unconditional love for the youngest Uchiha, he could see it all through her well. She rested her eyes on him while following his lead, as they walked comfortably in peace towards their destination.

His silver-hair covered almost half of his face just reaching where his brows would show. His sharingan was covered with a black patch to fully secure his identity as a ninja. Should his patch be taken off for inspection, a genjutsu can be casted in visualizing it as a dysfunctional eye, however, without the obvious use of chakra. To her, it would be pretty damn tricky, yet he's a genius to let a basic skill of his standard to slip off.

Oh, those wonderful toned muscles hugged by his light-silvery kimono. How could her ex-sensei look so tempting at this new look? His mask is still in place with a stretchable garment of white as opposed to the dark grey ones on his usual jounin get up, and this time, only to define his masculine jaws way better. It'd be a shame for woman of skilled hands not to touch those perfect figure of his face down to those...

"Sakura-chan, are you hungry? We haven't taken breakfast yet. A hungry stomach can do so much worse." He turned at her and gave a grin, his signature "eye-smile" forming into a curve.

She snapped herself and quickly looked at the view on her side. Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, she forcefully tried to face him with a normal self for as much as possible.

"A...ah.. S-sure kakashi-sensei! Heh.." _oh god._

"Right! We could settle our bags here first and relax for a while." The older jounin brought down his stuffs and reached for two noodle cups in his bag, handling one over his former student. He picked up dry twigs on the nearby woods and brought some water-filled containers for boiling and drinking purposes. Gathering the needed materials, he checked the environment first, feeling any signs of nearby chakra presences. The coast is clear and finally, he heaved signs and lit up the twigs with fire.

As soon as the water boiled, Kakashi carefully poured it on his ex-student's noodle cup. The emerald-eyed kunoichi could only look at and whirl her food using chopsticks, with her mind still drifting somewhere off far from where she is right now.

"So I suppose you're kind of nervous, right Sakura?" The older man questioned.

"No, not really I was just thinking of Naru- HEY! You finished your noodles so fast!"

Much to her disappointment, his mask was already in place and his noodle cup is clean as good. How could she fail to take the opportunity! A string of greater curiosity hit her this time, and once again, she sighed harder in dismay while staring at his cup noodles up to his covered face.

"Yo!" He replied.

"But Kakashi-sensei!" She frowned.

"I was actually facing right at you the whole time I was eating. I guess hunger really makes you a fast eater Sakura-chan." He grinned once more, reaching for his orange book along with a man cheerfully chasing a woman printed on its cover.

Sakura could only eat her noodles in peace while wondering how could he gulp such hot food in a swooping second. He sure has lots of tricks in his sleeves.

While eating her breakfast in solmenity, she can't help but take another stare at the man in front of her. She find herself addicted to those jaws and ever since she was under his tutelage, she tried to feel her own, only to touch round curves on the side of her face. She wonders up till now how those gifted jaws of his would feel like under her questioning touch? And damn, he was indeed good-looking specially with his effortless look. His silver-locks resting upon those busy eyes laying on the book which contained too much mystery to her in all these years.

And with this, she felt gravitated to ask.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hm?" The jounin slightly replied.

"So what's that book all about?" Her eyes widened a bit, curiosity takes place like forever.

"Only for adults Sakura-chan."

"Hey! I'm an adult myself right now! She protested.

"How old?" He slowly shifted his eye to her to hear the confirmation.

"19."

Kakashi's brow arched as he questioningly stared at the girl. Butterflies immediately filled her stomach as she met his gaze. She can't possibly melt here right now and admit the hots she has for her ex-teacher in no right time.

"Ah. Sit right here, Sakura-chan and I'll tell you some."

He tapped the ground beside him on where he wants her to sit. The pink-haired woman could only think of dirty thoughts specially when icha-icha was right on the topic, and not to mention its author, the legendary pervert Jiraiya. Should he do something immoral, she'll do no second thoughts of blasting him off with a thunder god punch.

The young kunoichi could only hesitate more until she finally set aside her unfinished noodle cup and moved on the space next to him. First she distanced herself, and slowly moved closer and closer in proximity as seconds passed. Finally, when she positioned herself in a less-awkward manner, the onyx-eyed man questioned her for the second confirmation.

"Do you really want to know, Sakura-chan?" His voice was low and bold.

The confused girl felt beads of sweat forming in her skin. "Y-yes."

"Are you really, really sure?"

"Yes I-I really am." _One wrong touch Kakashi and you're doomed to hell._

He slowly shifted a movement and his eye turned to meet hers. She could sense the warmth of his touch gently surrounding her waist. Before he could continue, she immediately shut her eyes in reeling shock and was surprised to felt a chaste, innocent kiss through his masked lips on her right cheek. The sensation of the intensifying heat gathered on the skin he just pecked, leaving hues of bright red on both of her cheeks. Kakashi noticed it immediately.

"Sakura-chan, you're blushing"

"What!? N-n-no!" Sakura moved fee inches away and covered her cheeks in shame. She turned her back on him and closed her eyes feeling the heat of her own cheeks. Indeed, he wasn't lying.

"In Shizu, that's how we would act normally, portraying ourselves as newly-weds to make it less hard for your part. Tsunade-sama told me to teach you some few moves and make you feel natural with it... You seemed way too tensed Sakura-chan. Just relax a lil bit and you're good!" Kakashi could only grin once more and chuckled at her denial. Indeed, the Hokage was right. She didn't expose herself to hugs and kisses with other boys lately ever since she'd been patiently waiting for the Uchiha youngster. Must be that hard to stay a loyalist, huh?

Oh right. Damn her shishou for knowing all her secrets and exposing her weaknesses to this man. She finally took advantage to this and must be grinning herself behind her cards.

"I-I'm sorry Kakashi-sensei. I'm just not used to doing this... specially with you." She can't finally find the guts to look at him again and instead, she desperately patted her cheeks again and again to ease the heat welling up on it.

Kakashi finally realized how much of a grown-up she had become. First, her curves were well-defined under her kimono. Second, her cheeks were very ample and soft to touch. Lastly, her scent was alluring and not to say... intoxicating. It must be his really busy schedule that failed him to see his ex-students blooming into their own special way. If ever he had breaks, he spent it sleeping or reading on top of his apartment's roof. How sad and dopey must his life be, perhaps he was meant to live alone in the first place, waiting for the next missions to keep himself busy or bump challenges with Gai on seasickness challenges. Yet still, a glimpse of happiness filled his heart to see such now-capable adults who were once little kiddos running in the streets of Konoha.

And here, right in front of him is a flower of beauty and strength. She is the epitome of the current Hokage herself in terms of medical skills and chakra control. Though at times she tend to look herself as an inferior nobody, she had those special qualities which the Sharingan and the Jinchuuriki could never surpass. Most of all, she grew to become a very respectable woman everyone loves in the village.

How proud he is to be once the sensei of the three.

"_Quit it Sakura, stop blushing for just one simple, scripted kiss! Ugh_" the pink-haired girl could only hiss to herself.

Hurriedly scooting herself up, she finally decided to go back in her original place right on the opposite side of her teacher before things could go much awkward to her. However, before she could rise on both feet, he cut her off with his words…

"Wait Sakura-chan, we have 2 more tricks to go."


	2. Chapter 2

**An Unexpected Mission**

_Chapter 2_

"Wait Sakura-chan, we still have more two tricks to go."

The young lady widened her eyes in surprise. How could she manage to brush off two more when the first one had already punched the hilt? Slowly, she turned her head towards the man whose lazy eye stared at her.

"But Kakashi-sensei, should we really practice this? I bet the Hokage loves to play things off, especially when she knows that I'm not just into this kind of _stuff._"

The older jounin gave her a blank look.

"Right, but she's dead serious about this Sakura-chan. As newly-weds, showing physical affection is a normal _stuff _to do and it can be of high use in when emergency calls for action. We only have our acting skills on the front line since we're talking about commoner life here."

Knowing she had no choice but to obey, she heaved a huge sigh once more before refusing to sit down with the burning cheeks on display.

"She really tortures me a lot, you know?" She mustered, crossing her arms.

Some things in her didn't change a bit at all, and he couldn't help but grin.

"Just because she trusts you very well." He gave her a word of approval, and by the looks of it, she's indeed the only person capable for this.

First, the blonde-hair Yamanaka would be a good actress herself, yet she lacks a greater degree of intelligence in contrast to Sakura, who's notably been an apprentice of the Godaime for years. Next, the Hyuuga heiress is too much of a shy type, and the weapon prowess Tenten lacked the quality of medical jutsu enough to pull a task off, just like what the mission would practically demand.

All she needs is just that little push regarding with confidence.

"I must say you improved a lot Sakura-chan and the Hokage never failed to choose you for this."

The young woman could only look at her ex-teacher in surprise. To hear words of appreciation is something to behold from him. He speaks rarely of it and discovering it from his very mouth gave her some fresh motivation for herself.

"Gee, thanks Kakashi-sense-"

"Speaking of salutations." He abrupted. "I'm no longer your teacher at the very least. And you need to call me Kakashi with habit during the span of our mission. It would be very bad to hear calling your husband sensei, you know."

The kunoichi flinched. _Husband? _Right. _Kakashi? _No way. Too bad, she had no other choice.

"Alright then, I'm sorry K-Kakashi." A twitch on her stomach churned. Calling him by name is definitely the first time in history. "Aww! But sense-"

"I like it better that way, Sakura." The silver-haired man smiled, the curve of his lips became quite visible in his mask.

The younger jounin blushed. Did he just call her without the salutation? To be fairly honest, he's kind of right. Names alone, though awkward due to the gap of their ages, seemed to be more comfortable in that way.

"So... can we start with the second trick now?" Kakashi grinned once more, making her feel relaxed first before anything else. "It's okay Sakura, we'll never get way far from this. I made this just quite appeasing for a beginner like you." He scratched the back of his head, hoping his words would really match his criteria. Mere holding hands is a secondary, something of a push is definitely necessary.

"O-okay." The blush finally subsided, leaving pale red on skin. All she has to do is to trust him now. In fact, he's one of a sexy bachelor, so why not cooperate with the moment? Hundreds of dirty thoughts could only spur and infiltrate her brain. And that coy side of her is one heck of a problem.

Anticipating his next move, she decided to close her eyes as he delved closer, still with the mask on. When the mark almost hit the spot, she felt suddenly ticklish.

"Trust me Sakura, you'll get used to this." He breathed on her neck, inhaling slowly the scent of blossomy fragrance.

"K-Kakash-"

Her words halted as she felt his lips touching the supple flesh just above her shoulder. Slowly, he worked his way up to her neck and nipped playfully through the covered cloth.

The girl widened her eyes, fighting her best to seal a moan from her lips. Damn first times. The reddish hue appeared intensely visible again on her cheeks. Feeling more of the ticklish sensation sprawling all throughout her body, she clutched her hands while she resisted to keep it steady on her legs.

The onyx-eyed man tried to look at her once more and sensed the quivers rattling her. He then decided to pull off for a bit.

"Sakura, relax. You can't possibly do that on our cover-up. People would see it as something forcibly done." He eyed her blankly, like such act is nothing but natural for him.

"B-but Kakashi, it's too ticklish. And it felt... weird."

The man raised a brow. "Weird?"

"I don't know, that garment on your face makes it feel itchy and.."

"Alright then, let's just remove this mask." He smiled. "But can you close your eyes for that while, Sakura?"

Is he teasing her or he's just messing up with her senses? Damn closet perverts who could manage to do things at ease.

"Hey, why shouldn't I look?" She frowned, causing her to face him with an apple-tinted face.

He could only smile at her, she's too cute being frustrated and at the same time, being flushed. "Well, if you want to act things flawlessly, passion must be seen in your eyes and closing them is just a perfect view for it."

"And?" She huffed.

"You must feel the moment Sakura, like it's the only thing in the world that heats you up. Do not hold back your feelings, it'll make you look like a dynamite."

God. He's more than an expert in things like this.

"Oh, alright." The kunoichi straightened up her shoulders, body facing slightly towards him. '_Relax.'_ she thought to herself.

Finally, she let her guard down as she closed her lids and inhaled deeply. Few moments have passed, she can feel him moving closer to her again, with his hand touching her left cheek in assurance.

"Trust me Sakura. I'll make sure to it that this shall be made comfortable for you. Keep your eyes closed till I say to open them. Hang on, okay?"

Heat has strucked her supple flesh down the clavicle. His warm lips were touching her, sucking gently on the porcelain skin. Her whole body tensed, radiating shivers down to her spine. She tried to shift in little movements to battle the ticklish sensations. God, his touch is driving her crazy.

Carefully, he brushed his warm tongue up on her neck, expecting her not to hold her feelings up just like earlier. And with whole gladness, he finally extracted a moan from the young lass.

"K-Kakashi..."

The man need not to reply and instead, a grin formed his shapely lips. He worked there for a few more seconds till his mouth met her lobe. He inhaled shortly and experimented it with his tongue. She is just too tempting. He could spend the whole day exploring this woman's body. Her response to his every invitation is very sensual and particularly sensitive. However, this is a mission. He mustn't go outside the boundary and chastity must be kept for the both of them at all costs.

The pink-haired woman shifted her head on the opposite side, revealing more flesh. She finally decided to face him with eyes clutched tight. His warmth brought her an inner euphoria, embracing every bit of her soul. She can feel his hard chest pushing against her own. In every area where his playful tongue would invade, she thought it'd be best to let her feelings pour out. The maddening beat of her heart caused her to pant faster.

She had never done this with a man. In fact, this is literally her first time and never as well did she expected to receive it from her ex-teacher. However the mystery of it all happened when she forgot the world and just let herself be carried away by the waves of their intimacy. She opted to follow his words to abstain from being herself for that very moment and just savor the fervor of his own touch.

She groaned as he slid his wandering tongue down her neck again. She can feel his hand traveling at the upper portion of her back, pushing her dangerously closer to him. She squeaked in surprise and tried to insert her palms onto his chest to keep a respectful distance, but failed when he stopped her with his other hand. She felt too helpless at the moment, his strength dominating her every movement. However, she can't help but admire his skills. Who wouldn't want to give in when such attractive creature would willingly offer his knowledge to a woman?

"Ah! K-Kakashi.. Kaka-Mm!"

Her moans of pleasure vibrated in all directions. Seeing the need to stop since she's finally gotten the point of the lesson, he grabbed his mask and put it on place, immediately locking her wrists with his own hands to hold her steadily.

Her sounds faded at the moment she felt him stop. She gently opened her emerald orbs and continued to search for his. A grin on his face awakened herself off from the maddening daze. Blushing hardly, she drew away her gaze on him and shifted it to her side. Finally, he released her.

"That was perfect Sakura. From that moment I thought it wasn't your first time." The copy-nin mellowly chuckled, hoping not to make her feel guilty on the expressions she opened up for him.

"I'm sorry.. I-I guess I was just too loud." Her eyes never left the direction.

The older man gently cupped his palm on her cheek and led it towards him.

"I understand your feeling, Sakura. Your reactions earlier were just the perfect tones I wanted to hear. You could fool any man with that, and you're a good actress you know!" he chuckled again.

The pink-haired girl smiled to herself. How can her heart be so at ease when he's the one taking in-charge? She knows what his responsibilities are and indeed, she had no reason to worry. He respected her the way she wants to be respected. A genius like him could impossibly see through beyond those kisses. It was all just in the name of profession.

"Well, I'd consider that!" She grinned. "And Kakashi-sense-, I mean Kakashi.."

She can feel his stare. Her blush radiated still.

"Y-you're good at things like this." If there's one thing in the world she can do at the moment, then that would be answering in total honesty. She proved her willingness to him and if he never stopped, she might lose her sanity at that point in time.

He grinned. "Well... Sakura, as you grow older, life continues to throw experiences at you. Just go with the flow and enjoy the ride."

Sakura studied his response. Could it be that he dated many girls before? If yes, then why didn't she and the other two of the team 7 had known about this? He might have been that same, dedicated teacher to them before... yet as a whole, he's one big box of a mystery.

"Oh. So you've been into many women before, didn't you?" She boldly asked.

Scratching the back of his head and grinning to himself, he knew he can't stop this woman's impulsive investigation. "Well, apparently.. yes."

Jaded-eyes widened in shock upon hearing this revelation. Oh how Sasuke and Naruto would kill her for knowing all these to herself. And wow, how lucky could those women be? Her ex-sensei is not only that-masculine-figure every woman and gay in the world would desire of, but he has the heart and passion in everything he does as well. For short, perfect package. Not that she starts to build interest on him, but his shroud of mystery is just too irresistible.

"How many?" She leaned further.

"I lost count really." His eye-grin stayed on his face. Looking at her innocence, he knew he must have done some serious damage to her. Missions do really alter people overtime. He was a victim in countless times, and this young lady is surely up for the next candidate.

"Sakura, are you okay?" a concerned tone left his mouth.

"I'm alright… don't worry." She beamed gleefully, her cheeks slowly losing its flush and thankfully. Thank god, things didn't get as awkward as expected.

"So what's up for the third trick _sen-sei_?" She playfully said.

Damn. She needs to be aware of the tone of that voice. As a newbie, she can't possibly learn to start teasing him around. Regarding her question, things need not to be in a hurry. As of now, they just need to get back on track before noon could catch up with them.

"We need to get going. This is an emergency mission and... the third trick can wait."

Picking up their things and checking out the clear horizon, the strawberry-haired lass stretched her arms up in the air and placed them on both sides of her hips.

Perhaps Kakashi isn't gay after all?

-,-

The clouds started to lose its shade of blue as the day readied to welcome the night. The pink-haired kunoichi yawned widely, feeling every part of her muscle protesting in distress. Yesterday, she worked whole day and night in the hospital, rejoicing for the next day's supposedly 3-day-break as promised by the Hokage. But life can be a bitch sometimes causing frustration to drain all her energies. Worst, her shishou, through Shizune's loud knocks on her apartment, woke her up at 2:30 am where she only managed to reward herself with sleep for an hour and a half. Her knees felt like sleeping on their own as she finds it difficult to raise an ankle for a walk.

Good thing Kakashi managed to work her up, renewing the battery to travel. No tree hopping, flopping or whatsoever. Being a commoner must need lots of effort to travel a mile, let alone theirs.

The older jounin marched off silently as before, seemingly vigilant as their paths grew closer and closer to Shizu. He made sure that both of their chakras were fully-compressed to avoid suspicions from the many shinobi of the place.

His right orb eyed the west frequently as chakra distortions were greatly felt from the place when all of a sudden, a loud groan from a man reverberated several feet away to where they are situated.

"Sakura, follow me." The older jounin hurriedly start running towards the voice.

The young lady felt the urgency of the situation as she heard the same noise as well. Stretching her limits versus fatigue and muscle pain, she did her best to try to catch up with her partner. Even without the use of chakra, he's still remarkably fast. Her heart rate's starting to hitch and vibrations of pain originating from her chest slowed her running.

_Damnit! Damn it all! _She hissed.

She reached for some energy tablets in her bag's pocket from behind and did no second thoughts but to eat it. She clutched her eyes in its bitter taste and thank heavens, her sacrifice of munching on its total craziness paid off as energy restored her system once again.

The copy-nin hid quietly behind the bush to witness the events that covered earlier. The young medic followed from his behind while catching her breath in heavy pants before finally regaining composure. Everything happened lightning fast as 5 bodies were only to be found scattered on the ground. Sensing that the coast is clear, the two raced towards them and hoped to the heavens that their lives shall be spared. Clearly, these men were all shinobi, their forehead protector informed that they are from a different village. Unfortunately, only one managed to survive and Kakashi didn't wait any longer but to set the man aside from the open site.

"Allow me." Sakura first checked his vital signs and when the systems were all normal, except for the deep wound that has been freshly impaled by a katana, she worked with chakra to start repairing the damaged tissues. A glow of sea green began to radiate and the man couldn't help but groan in pain.

Kakashi checked the environment once again and thanked that no one except them, was around.

"Relax your body sir. Breathe deeply." she commanded.

The man nodded, entrusting himself to the woman over his care.

The pink-haired medic utilized her full knowledge into the patient. Cases like this isn't an alien to her comparing to the variety of health issues done during hospital duties. However, in the course of healing, she found it questioningly difficult to work out with the tissues. The muscles stubbornly knitted back to their original selves and it seems that some amount of chakra left inside the body were responsible for it. With full concentration, Sakura increased the amount of energy in the wound. To her delight, it improved despite of the developments being extremely slow. Minutes have gone and she finally resuscitated the man back into full recovery.

"They stole our arms and weaponries. Next, they tried to kill us all 'till you found me half alive." the man sighed to himself, placing a palm on his forehead.

The older jounin raised a brow. This is what exactly the Godaime had informed them all about.

"I owe my second chance to life because of you. I couldn't t-thank you well enough." He then shed tears of happiness and Sakura found herself smiling back at him.

"It is our duty to save a life, sir. But should you be asked who nursed you back to health, please be quiet about it at all costs."

The shinobi, with features that seemingly to be in his thirties agreed with no hesitation.

"I got it. Your secret's safe with me."

"Anyway." The silver-haired man interrupted. "What exactly happened?" He crossed his arms, leaning comfortably against a nearby tree.

The older ninja closed his eyes, remembering the details as much as possible. At the back of his mind, these two might have been sent by the Shinobi Alliance. By all means, he needs to be assured of their identities first.

"From where are you two anyway? Obviously, this girl is a nin so I presume that includes you as well." His eyes then rested at Kakashi.

Kakashi gave a nod. "Ah. We're from Konohagakure."

"Oh, I see. Good thing the Alliance finally made an action for this. What a relief!" He grinned.

After a short while, his own eyes witnessed the horrific view of the lifeless bodies heavily drenched with blood. It made him realize that these people were the same ones who were full of life, just few moments ago. A pang of pain immediately inflicted his soul. The warmth of his emotions were disappearing in haste, leaving him with a heave of a sigh, and just hopelessly counting on himself for clear reports in hopes of justice to this murder.

"My name is Katsume and I'm from the Hozuoka village. Our place is known for crafting metals into weaponries of finest qualities that gave title to us as one of the best for many decades. We have been a frequent supplier to the 5 great villages, and that includes your own."

Kakashi looked at the man with anticipation. "I've been there once. 3-4 years ago."

The older man's eyes widened. "So you must be one of the nin responsible for the delivery? That's interesting."

The copy-nin once again, nodded.

"Today, we were the latest group to be dispatched for the delivery. We were very well-aware of the past reports given to us about this incident. However, we failed to foresee the totality of their plot beforehand. They are really geniuses enough to pull off a good plan for ambush. Still, this isn't an excuse. It's a good thing you found me and therefore I need to continue this alon-"

"No." Kakashi rebutted. "You need to go back while we take care of this for a while. Please tell your leaders to halt all deliveries until we provide further notice. It's too dangerous for now. The same shall go for all weapon suppliers."

"That's right Katsume-san. Plus we never know what set-ups they have possibly in mind along the way. We can't afford to lose more lives." The kunoichi smiled, a picture of worry painted on her face.

Standing to his knees, Katsume leaned on the tree beside him and breathed heavily.

"I guess I'll retreat this time. I'll leave this up to you two." Despite of his condition, he managed to give them a grin. He knows about the exceptional capabilities of the Hidden Leaf and thus, there's no single reason to worry. Yet, there's still _one_. And that would be the remains of his team members.

"I'll call for back-ups when I reach Hozuoka. I just can't leave them here." His eyes wandered to his men and Kakashi could only follow his direction.

"That would be dangerous. You clearly know that the enemies are working in ambush squads. Who knows what could happen next?" The grey-haired nin sternly replied. "We'll bury them here for a while. And when things get finally settled, they should be brought back to your village."

In situations like this, sacrifices aren't an option any longer. Katsume could only obey as he and Kakashi successfully kept his fallen mates nearby.

-,-

"It's freezing cold! S-so, This must be the place huh, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura held her arms intact, battling the coolness of the weather as both of her wandering eyes explored the wooden cabin. It's big on the outside and had been seemingly built around ages ago due to its almost worn-off walls. It's dainty windows hanging up largely on framed wood carvings.

"Ehem." Kakashi released a fake-ish cough.

"Oh sorry! _K-kakashi_." Sakura replied with fidgeting teeth.

"That's better." He smiled. "We're now in Shizu Sakura. People here who'll greet us with innocent faces might as well be our treacherous enemies. Maintain that vigilance up."

Keeping their stuffs on check, the two finally made their way to the reception inside. A warmer environment welcomed them, much to the relief of the pink-haired kunoichi.

The woman in-charge glued her eyes at Kakashi's interesting figure. "Good evening sir.." She earnestly smiled at him, "..and ma'am," only to drift her eyes briefly at the younger jounin, and then back to the copy-nin.

"Good evening, we'd like to have a couple room." Kakashi beamed. Hearing this, Sakura's eyes twitched straightaway with surprise while the woman couldn't help but raise a brow.

"Oh.. I see. We'll have room 14 then sir." The in-charge flashed a disappointed smile.

The room felt cozier. There were two windows each at the left and front corner to where the bed was facing. The floor was fully furnished and the mattress felt _way_ comfortable than those sleeping bags they'd sack in during the previous missions.

Finally all alone in this room along with Kakashi, where all private things roll off and play its cards, the thought of having one bed to share sank into Sakura's head. Earlier this day, Kakashi introduced to her a new type of euphoria that squish-squashed her insides. The heat of his kiss to the feeling of his strong, yet gentle hands roaming into her own figure filled her thoughts once more. It was all but the second trick still… let alone the third? The bed, the lamps at both sides, the wine displayed at the right side cabinet, and-

"So Sakura." A voice was heard after the sound of an unlocking door. "Ready for the third trick?"

Kakashi finally made his way outside the shower, only to reveal those lean, bulky muscles of his shoulders, chest, and abdomen. His hand calloused his silvery wet locks as water dripped slowly into his naked figure, save for the towel held around his waist.

Sakura could only gulp and freeze her eyes at the glorious sight in front of her.

_Oh god. This is going to be one long, tragic night._


End file.
